Five New Year’s resolutions for marketing leaders in 2010

It’s that time of year to reflect, renew and refocus. And resolutions are a time-honored tool to help us do these things. So here are five resolutions I propose for marketing leaders everywhere and ones that I hope to accomplish myself.

In 2010 I resolve to:

Get out of the economic-meltdown funk: We are all worn out from the fight to keep our heads above water. It’s time to regain some optimism again, put a spring in our step and start smiling once more. Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Dr. John have all sung the following lyrics. It’s time for us to do so as well. You’ve got to accentuate the positive. Eliminate the negative. Latch on to the affirmative. Don’t mess with Mister In-Between.

Shake things up: The status quo just won’t cut it. It’s time for things to change, and change for the better. We must be the ones to instigate the change initiatives that our organizations desperately need. Yes it is risky. But trying to do the same things for yet another year is even riskier. It’s time to take a leap of faith. Let’s jump together!

Get out more: Marketing leaders are the critical connection between the market and the organization. Yet the magnetic pull of standing meetings, management off-sites and daily crisis management keeps us internally focused too much. Let’s get out and meet with customers, visit our channel partners, eat in our restaurants, talk with people and regain the pulse on the market that is critical for honing our intuition. Decisions will be made quickly this year. Let’s make sure our gut instincts are in tune with today’s market.

Care deeply: Let’s be passionate about what we do. And genuinely care for those with whom we do it. If you’ve lost the passion for your work, ask yourself why. Is the intersection between what you love to do and what the company needs still there? If so, find a renewed sense of mission that gives you the energy you need. If not, go do something different. If we really care about what we do, it is much easier to care for the people around us. Ask them how they are doing. Learn what is happening in their lives outside of the office. Say thank you. Write them a short note of appreciation. Give them the support they need to grow. Work is much more fun when we do it as a team that takes care of each other.

Make a difference: In the lives of our family. For our team members. For our companies. For our customers. For our communities. We are difference-makers and what we do matters. Let’s be purposeful about the difference we want to make in the new year. Let’s be clear about the impact we want to have. Let’s share that with others. We’ll be more committed and more supported if we do. And in the end we can look back at 2010 and say, like Frank Sinatra sang, It was a very good year.